Locking bobby pin



Oct. 14, 1952 J. A. RAPISARDA 2,613,680

LOCKING BOBBY PIN Filed Dec. 2, 1950 ZSnventor Patented Oct. 14, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING BOBBY PIN Joseph A. Rapisarda, Springfield, Mass.

Application December 2, 1950, Serial No. 198,821

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hair pins and is directed more particularly to hair pins which are adapted for locking in closed position.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of a normally open hair pin which is adapted for locking when in hair embracing relation.

The pin of the invention is constructed and arranged so that opposite arms thereof which are in normally open relation may be readily and easily releasably locked with hair therebetween and does not require holding open for the insertion of hair. v

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a hair pin embodying the novel features of the invention and shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the pin in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the p as Shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

The hair pin 2 of the invention is formed from a single strip of resilient metal which is bent to have a loop 4 from which extends upper and lower arms 6 and 8.

As shown, the strip is rectangular in cross section having a greater transverse width than thickness and the arms will normally assume the open position of Fig. 1. This is so the user may insert hair between the arms readily and easily and will not be required to open the arms for the insertion of hair therebetween which is bothersome and difficult.

The lower arm 8 is so twisted or formed intermediate its end at I!) to provide an end portion [2 which is disposed right angularly to portion 14 thereof. That is, the portion I2 is disposed 2 vertically while portion I 4 is disposed horizontally and parallel to arm 6 thereabove.

The outer end of the arm 8 is formed with a depression or concavity It, as shown in Fig. 3, and terminates in a manually engageable extension l8.

v The upper arm 6 adjacent its outer end is provided with a depression or concavity 20, see Figs. 1 and 2, and terminates in a manually engageable extension 22. The concavities of the arms are at right angles.

The hair pin of the invention may be used in various ways for various purposes,

With the arms 6 and 8 in the normally open position as shown in Fig. 1, hair is slipped therebetween or the pin is slipped onto the hair so that the desired portion of the hair isdisposed between the said arms.

The free ends or the extremities of the arms are engaged by the fingers and the arm 6 is brought downwardly towards the arm 8 so that the extremity of arm 6 is disposed belowthe lower edge of the extremity of the arm-8. Then the extremity 22 and extremity l8 are moved relatively laterally. That is, the extremity 22 is movedforwardly and the extremity I3 is moved rearwardly, with reference to the drawings, so that the concaved end portion of arm 8 overlies the concavity of the arm 6.

The ends of the arms are released and due to the resiliency and spring-like character of the hair pin, the concaved portions of the arms are interlocked, as shown in the drawings, so that the hair is embraced between the said arms.

The upper arm may, if desired, be provided with corrugations 24 disposed transversely thereof, as shown, which provide portions for receiving and engaging the hair.

The hair pin, as shown, is formed from an elongated strip of resilient metal but if desired it may be formed from round metal with end portions flattened to provide the concaved end portions and extremities of the arms.

The flat end portions are desired as fiat surfaces or faces are thus provided so that edge portions of one arm engage the relatively flat faces of the other when the arms are in locked together relation, thereby to obviate relative twisting of the arms.

As stated, the arms are easily and readily moved from open position with hair therebetween to closed position and locked therein by moving one arm towards the other and moving the respects merely as being illustrative and not asbeing restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. v

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: V

1. A normally open lockable hair pin comprising, an elongated strip of resilient metal bent upon itself intermediate its end to forma U to have a rear loop and normally spaced upper and lower arms extending therefrom in diverging relation and having free outer .ends, normally resisting movements towards one another, said strip being ribbon-like in cross section pro:- viding opposite flat faces to said -arms,,.the flat faces of said upper arm being disposed in horizontal planes and a forward portion of said lower arm from a point disposed forwardly of said loop being twisted upon itself so that the fiat faces thereof are disposed in vertical planes and an edge thereof underlies said ..upper ..arm, the outer end of said lower arm provided with a laterally and horizontally extending concavity terminating in a manually engageable extremity of 'said arm, and the outer end of' saidupper arm provided with a downwardly andvvertically extending concavity terminating in a'manually engageable extremity of said arm, all adapted and arranged whereby the extremity of said 'upper arm may be depressed against the! resiliency of 4 the structure to a point below the plane of the loop of the lower arm for slight movement horizontally beneath said loop and released so that said loops are interengaged.

2. A normally open lockable hair pin comprising, an elongated strip of resilient metal bent upon itself intermediate its end to form a U to have a rear loop and normally spaced upper and lower arms extending therefrom in. diverging relation and having free outer ends normally resisting movements towards one another, said strip being ribbon-like in cross section providing opposite fiat faces to said arms, the flat faces of said upper arm being disposed in horizontal planes and a forward portion of said lower arm from a point disposed forwardly of said loop being twisted upon itself so that the flat faces thereof are disposed in vertical planes and an edge thereof underlies said upper arm, the outer end of said lower arm provided with a laterally and horizontally extending concavity terminating in a'manually engageable'extremity of said arm, and the outer end of said upper arm provided with a downwardly and vertically extending concavity terminating in a manually engageable extremity of said arm, all adapted and arranged whereby the extremity of said upper arm may be depressed against the resiliency of the structure to a point below the plane of the loop of the lower arm for slight movement horizontally beneath said loop and released so that said loops are interengaged, the portion of the upper arm disposed over the upper edge of the lower arm provided with vertically extending corrugations.

JOSEPH A. RAPISARDA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date v I 2,449,845 Ghisletta Sept. .21, 1948 

